Poisoned Transaction Causes Unexpected Fork on Cardano
On Nov. 21, 2025, a validation mismatch on the Cardano network led to an unexpected fork after a malformed transaction was propagated; the broadcaster later issued a public apology. The event has been labeled a "poisoned transaction attack" by community members and coincided with brief disruptions to node validation and block propagation across parts of the network.
Developers and node operators are investigating the root cause and monitoring for any residual instability. While there is no immediate evidence of long-term damage to ADA's ledger, the episode highlights risks around transaction validation and node consensus that can affect wallet confirmations, exchanges, and staking services. Users and service providers should watch official Cardano channels for updates and avoid rebroadcasting suspicious transactions until the investigation concludes.